News & Updates
Have Questions or Want to Get Started?
Tell Us What You Need.
What is a Single Visit Crown?
You may have seen them advertised lately, but do you know what this phrase, “single visit crown,” means? It means that dentistry has advanced to CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/ Computer Aided Manufacturing) technology. If you have ever experienced getting a cap (crown) in a dental office without CAD/CAM technology, this new advancement will amaze you.
Prior to CAD/CAM dentistry, getting a crown required at least two appointments. At the first appointment the tooth was prepared, impressed and a temporary crown was placed. Two to three weeks later the patient returned to the dental office and the permanent crown was cemented. The two to three week wait was due to the time it takes for a lab to manufacture and send back the permanent crown. In the meantime . . . perhaps your temporary crown fell off, broke or simply didn’t feel right.
This no longer needs to be the case because of CAD/ CAM technology. One breakthrough instrument, called CEREC, allows dentists to quickly restore damaged teeth with natural-colored ceramic fillings, saving patients time and inconvenience.
What is CEREC?
CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics. Translated, it means that a dentist can economically restore damaged teeth in a single appointment using a high grade ceramic material that matches the natural color of other teeth.
How does the instrument work?
CEREC uses CAD/CAM technology, incorporating a camera, computer, and milling machine in one instrument. The dental team uses a special 3D imaging camera to take an accurate photo of the tooth being restored. This optical impression is transferred and displayed on a color computer screen, using CEREC’s proprietary software, where the dental team uses CAD technology to design the restoration. Then CAM takes over and creates the restoration using diamond burs to mill your restoration out of a ceramic block. You can watch your crown being milled in front of your eyes! Finally, the dentist bonds the new restoration to the surface of the old tooth. The whole process takes about one hour.
What does this innovation mean for a patient?
The patient receives a more accurate and stronger restoration in less time and in one visit. No messy impressions, no temporaries. The restoration is natural-looking, compatible with tissue in the mouth, anti-abrasive and plaque-resistant. CEREC has almost three decades of clinical research and documentation to support the technology. The restorations have been proven precise, safe and effective.
Walter B. Fingar, DMD, We Care Family Dentistry
A truly personal dental experience awaits you.
We Care about your well-being and your teeth.
Feel free to contact us with comments, questions or concerns.
Full Form
We would like to take this opportunity to tell you more about our practice, the value we provide and how you can benefit from becoming a patient with us.
We are committed to providing preventative maintenance for our patients and their families. Take advantage of our facility for a lifetime of healthy, bright smiles!